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CHAPEL HILL, NC — The gameday experience at North Carolina is unique.
Not because any traditions or activities surrounding Tar Heels home games are out of the ordinary. It’s more the product of Kenan Stadium’s location and the university’s close relationship with the Town of Chapel Hill.
Situated in the heart of UNC’s campus between a major hospital center, parking decks, the picturesque bell tower and dormitories, the area around the stadium isn’t as conducive to traditional tailgating activities as many other places.
That helps transform football Saturdays from a UNC event to a more widespread civic festival.
There are a number of organized on-campus features, including the Bell Tower Walk that gives fans a chance to see and mingle with football coach Mack Brown and his players as they make their way to the stadium and a fan fest called Tar Heel Town with stations in different areas of campus.
But the main center of energy on game days is Franklin Street, Chapel Hill’s main thoroughfare. That’s where students, alumni and fans gather to have a pregame meal at one of many local establishments, shop for Carolina blue swag or just stand on a corner and soak in the atmosphere until kickoff.
“When you think of Carolina in general 10,000-foot terms, you think of the Old Well, the Bell Tower, the Smith Center. And you think of Franklin Street,” UNC’s radio play-by-play man Jones Angell said. “It’s such a quintessential college town strip, and it’s part of the history of this place. It’s a must-see and must-do both before and after the game.
“Instead of having one giant location to gather, we have people all over town, enjoying their own personal traditions with their family when they come to a game. I think that’s what makes it so special. I know that we’re trying to centralize some of the pregame activity. But I hope that doesn’t take away some of the cool, individual ways people get ready for the games they’ve passed down from generation-to-generation.”
Angell has been enjoying his own personal gameday experiences on and off campus since he was an undergraduate student at UNC in the late 1990s.
As a youngster growing up in Eastern North Carolina, he listened to Hall of Famer Woody Durham describe the action on the Tar Heel Sports Network and dreamed of doing it himself someday. It’s a goal he realized in 2011 when he was chosen for the job upon Durham’s retirement.
Replacing a legend is never easy. And it took time for UNC fans to get used to the change.
Eventually, they did.
Just as they’ve embraced Angell as the new Voice of the Tar Heels, they’ve also learned to accept changes that have altered the look and feel of Kenan Stadium. Including the massive “Blue Zone” that replaced the old field house and enclosed the East end of the facility.
The tradeoff is an enhanced fan experience, especially the most recent addition: Chair back seats that replaced the uncomfortable aluminum benches.
Even with the changes, Kenan Stadium remains one of the most picturesque venues in college football.
Located in a lush wooded area, the stadium is all but hidden from view as you make your way to the game. You literally have to walk within a few yards of it before noticing the press box on one side or the premium seating area on the other peeking out above the treetops.
Once inside, there’s Carolina blue everywhere the eye can see.
Even the hashmarks on the 22-yard lines are trimmed in the color in honor of the great Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, the Heisman Trophy runnerup in both 1948 and ’49 who wore the number during his days with the Tar Heels. The names of other UNC greats, including Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor, Dre Bly, Harris Barton and Julius Peppers, are also prominently displayed around the stadium.
The highlight of Kenan’s charm, however, is the picturesque panorama surrounding the stadium – from the Bell Tower looming over its Northwest corner to the trees that surround it. Especially in late September and early October when the leaves begin to turn. The fact that the facility stays open no matter the time of year, allowing visitors to walk in and admire, makes it all the more special.
“There’s just something special about the beauty of the setting of Kenan Stadium,” Angell said. “To enjoy that backdrop as you’re watching a game is something that’s uniquely part of Carolina.”
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
